SPRINGFIELD -- Hundreds of city residents and their families turned out for crafts, carols and the opportunity to meet Santa Claus as part of the C3 Forest Park Police Unit's annual Christmas Party on Saturday.

The annual event, which took place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Holy Name Social Center on Alderman Street, featured an array of family friendly holiday activities, food and sing-a-longs, as well as the chance for the Forest Park community to meet with state and Springfield police officers.

Marilyn Felix, a member of the C3 Forest Park Police Unit's events committee who helped organize the party, said such events are important to establishing relationships between law enforcement and local residents.

"For us, we feel that the community and the police unit should be getting together so that they can feel comfortable," she said.

The unit has been holding the annual Christmas Party for three years, in addition to hosting community events around Easter and Halloween, Felix said.

She added that the community appears to have really responded to the events, noting than at least 400 people were estimated to have attended Saturday's party.

"They love it, the parents come with the kids and they have a fantastic time -- it's been really great," she said. "This one here is probably the largest one so far."

Mark Dorsey, a Springfield resident who said he also helped organize the Christmas party, said he believes the event helps underscore the importance of community.

"It enables me to be part of the community and be able to reach out and help people," he said. "People need to be helping more people on a regular basis and not to be so much concerned about themselves."

According to Felix, the event is not funded by the police department, but rather through local businesses and community members' donations.

Sara Holmes, the general manager of Lia Toyota in Wilbraham and a sponsor of the 2017 Christmas party, said she felt it was important to get involved and give back to the community.

"We came here to support the kids and the families," she said in an interview. "We've stuffed about 1,000 bags of school supplies, mittens that we want to give out to the kids. The Springfield Thunderbirds have also teamed up with us and gave us 400 tickets to pass out today."

The Big Y has also served as a partner for such events, donating pizzas and coupons, Holmes said.

The 2017 Christmas party, which was free and open to the public, boasted arts and crafts activities, including face painting, as well as holiday photos with Santa, food and music.